Gumball's Misfortunes
by blueberries95
Summary: Gumball is forced to attend Candy High; a school made for Special kids with Special talents. Gumball's hate for his life can't be measured, especially if you add Marshall Lee to the mix! To Marshall, the young rock star, Gumball is his new source of entertainment. How will Gumball cope with his new environment? And what're those new feelings to Marshall? Rated M just to be safe!
1. Chapter 1: Misfortune brings Misfortunes

A/N: Since I'm in love with Prince Gumball and Marshall Lee so much, I wanted to write a little story about them!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters! Credits all go to the original creators.

Gumball never hated his life as much as he does now. There was a time when he hated his life because he couldn't get the latest liquid pyrotechnics on his 14th birthday, but that hate couldn't possibly compare to the hate he's feeling now. At this given moment, Gumball detested everything that came his way!

**_Stupid school, stupid parents, stupid molecular physics!_**He thought bitterly.

It all started when he was sitting with his parents on Sunday for an afternoon tea; he was telling them about the experiments he was working on at the labs with the other scientist. They were testing the DNA of a very rare bacterium, Gumball was very excited and happy but he realized that his parents weren't sharing this happiness with him.

When he asked them about it, his parents looked at each other before his father spoke calmly.

"Gumball, it's very nice that you're doing something you love. But your mother and I have been thinking that a healthy 17 year old boy like you shouldn't be locking himself up in his room or his lab all day and night doing nothing but experiments and math," he told him. "You should be staying up late all night, sleeping in in the morning, getting in trouble, and falling in love! That's why we- even though you already graduated last year- are sending you to a real high school in Ooo to gain some normal teenage experience."

Gumball's mouth dropped open; he couldn't believe what he had just heard. His own father downright disowned him, sending him to live far away; he was even giving him permission to get himself in trouble.

"Father you can't _possibly_ assume that just because I'm different, that I'm not like your friends' sons, means I'm bad! Why can't you just accept the fact that I'm just different?" Gumball gaped at them, his eyes darting back and forth between his parents.

"Honey, we're just doing what's best for you," his mother offered.

"You don't know what's best for me!" Gumball shouted.

**_And that's how our argument ended, with them winning. And now I'm stuck going to a high school filled with ignorant monkeys, who's only thoughts are drugs and sex..._**

This was his worst nightmare ever!

His parents should've just taken away his privilege to attend science fairs for the primary school, or cutting his allowance would be a great idea too! But forcing him to go to school for idiots who think they're smart is simply a purely terrible insult to him! On the bright side, he can finally live independently at least.

**_Well, if you call the fact that my mother calls almost every five minutes because she's worried about me, living independently_**_._

Gumball shoved his hands into his pockets, scowling to himself, and walked into his classroom; 4S-3. The four stood for the fourth year, grade 12. The S was for special; Candy High is divided into 2 sections, the general Department for normal average student, and the Special Department for the special kids with special talents. And because Gumball was a prince, he was placed in the Special section.

The 3 was his class number. As soon as he entered his class he made a bee line to the nearest seat he saw available, he didn't even bother to look at the students around him. When he sat down he opened his book titled 'The History of Quantum Mechanic: Fabric of Cosmos' and worked his way through the book waiting while the teacher arrived.

High school was a boring as he thought it would be, even the special one. The students were as stupid as he thought they would be, _especially_ the special ones. Those spoiled rich kids who lacked manners and common sense...

Not to mention those idiots and that loud music they listen to, or the way they _spoke_ with each other! Everything about them was vulgar! If his parents thought he could make friends here, they better think again. He wouldn't even fall in love. Yes, he was a rich kid, maybe even richer than all of them, but he wasn't a spoiled brat nor did he lack manners and etiquette.

Gumball sighed as the bell rang and school ended, he thought the day would never end. As he stood up to leave he bumped into another student who was in a hurry.

"Sorry," the blonde said without even turning to look at him.

"Hurry up, Finn!" His friends called for him from the front door, "You know how Marshall hates it when we arrive late to his concert!"

The blonde, Finn, apologized to his friends when he got to them before they all turned around and walked away, without a second glance at Gumball.

**_Rude,_**he thought as he exited his class.

At the front of the school gate stood a bright pink limo waiting for its rider. In front of the limo stood his butler, Peppermint. Gumball paused in the middle of the school's front yard, gaping at the sight in front of him. The entire student body stared at the limo, whispering and wondering who it was waiting for. Gumball sucked in air, swallowed the lump in his throat and walked towards his limo.

"I hope you had a good day at school, your Highness." said Peppermint as he opened the door for Gumball.

"Let's just get out of here." Gumball grunted as he hurriedly got in the limo. "Please" he added.

His apartment wasn't that far from the school. After his parents got him transferred to Candy High, he insisted that he would pick his own apartment. The one he chose was just 15 minutes away, it was a 20 story high building and his flat was on the 15th floor. A single bedroom with a kitchen and a washroom, it had a great view from the balcony at night and the rent was good. His parent though insisted that they should buy him a pent house, they had argued again for the third time that day.

"Did my mother send you?" he asked peppermint,

"Yes, your Highness. Her Majesty, your mother, was worried you wouldn't fit in with the rich kids if you walked to and from school."

Gumball rolled his eyes. "So flashing the pink limo would help me fit in with the popular crowd?"

"That's what your mother assumed," he said smiling,

Gumball grumbled to himself, his mother worries too much! The limo took the next right at the intersection and Peppermint parked the limo at the front of the apartment's entrance. Gumball stepped out before Peppermint could get to his side and open the door.

"Peppermint, I don't want you to drive me to and from school starting tomorrow. Also tell my parents not to send me any allowance or to send the maid over for cleaning," Gumball instructed. "And do tell them I can handle taking care of myself just fine."

Peppermint bowed to gumball before driving away. He sighed again and rubbed his temple.

**_I hope mother can get a clue that I want to be alone in this!_**

Gumball walked to his apartment, punched in his code and the door slide open. He marched in and rode the elevator up to his floor, and strode into his flat. He took off his shoes, threw his back pack at the stack of unopened boxes that he still had to unpack and walked into his kitchen to make coffee. He needed to look for a part-time job fast, he needed to unpack the boxes, and he needed to go grocery shopping to fill his empty fridge. The list on his to-do-list was increasing rapidly, giving him a minor headache.

He poured his coffee in his hot pink mug, hoping the drink would calm his migraine, and strolled to the balcony. He sipped his coffee and propped his elbow on the railing staring down at the town before him.

**_This was going to be a long year_**_,_he thought and the pounding in his head didn't make it any better.


	2. Chapter 2: An Encounter with Fate

A/N: OMG! Thanks so much for your support! So this is the 2nd chapter, hope you enjoy it!

Also, don't forgot to leave your thoughts behind!

* * *

Gumball had strolled around the neighborhood that evening, asking the shop keepers if they were looking for an extra helping hand. And so far they all refused him; he was growing desperate. If he doesn't find a job by the end of the month he'll have to call his parents for money.

Tonight he will start unpacking the boxes, then after that he will go around the other side of town to look for a job hopefully he'll be fortunate enough to get one. After all he did find a four leaf clover at the front of the school's gate this morning.

Today the class seemed to be in an uproar, they were all buzzing around speaking loudly pushing each other and eating with their mouths open. All that made Gumball hate his life even more.

**_Why me,_ **he wondered dully**.**

The tables and chairs were all scattered everywhere. Gumball had to carry his table and place it back in its original spot but the chair he had dragged earlier was already occupied by a girl.

"Excuse me miss, but I believe you are sitting on my chair?" he said gently with a smile on his face. The girl looked at him and blushed before apologizing as she got up and ran to her friend. Gumball cursed his manners and polite speech. When he was settled he tried to go back to his book, but the noise of the classroom made it difficult for him to get past the first sentence.

**_When is this teacher going to come?_**

First period was Calculus. Mrs. Betty was going over several examples on derivatives because one of the students didn't understand it, and so half the period was wasted over this. Gumball had already covered Calculus at the age of 14; in fact he already had his high school diploma, received it at 16. He was the youngest student at Aaa University; he was halfway through his second year when his parents shipped him back to school. Just because he was home schooled for 16 years, and have never experienced a high school life, his parent decided it was time for him to actually experience it.

**_Honestly, I would rather be studying pure calculus right now!_**

Mrs. Betty had finally just started the lesson when the class door slammed open and in strolled a guy with raven black hair, his red plaid shirt was unbuttoned, a black t-shirt, skin tight ripped jeans and a guitar case on his back.

"Guess whose back!?" he yelled, holding his hands up in a horn sign with his tongue sticking out. "Marshall Lee's in the house!"

"Mr. Abadeer, I am glad you decided to join us, but could you refrain from disturbing the class and quietly take a seat now? We are covering Derivatives at the moment."

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he walked to his seat. When he reached Gumball, who was busy minding his own business, Marshall flipped his glasses and said, "'Sup, nerd?" before continuing walking without giving him a chance to answer. Gumball heard the students at the back chuckling; he took a deep breath trying to control his feelings. _Mr. Abadeer_ was already on his to-hate list.

When the lunch bell rang after third period, Gumball's stomach was rumbling non-stop. He unzipped his amaranth pink messenger bag and started placing his books neatly inside. He reached for his baby pink pencil case when it suddenly got snatched away; Gumball looked up to see the guitar dude straddling the seat in front of him wearing a lopsided smile. "Yo, nerd! The name is Marshall Lee, and I'm the king of Rock!"

"What do you want?" said Gumball trying to snatch his pencil case back.

"Your notes," Marshall threw the pink pencil case back to its owner.

"No," he said, frowning.

"Awh, come on! I know you nerds write very detailed notes, highlighting all the important parts that _do_ come in the exams! And I really need to pass calculus," pleaded Marshall

"Go ask someone else for help," spat Gumball. He stuffed his pencil case in his bag and almost ran out of the class.

"Nerd, wait!" he heard Marshall call after him, but he continued his fast walk.

Gumball didn't stop walking until he reached an empty hallway. He visibly relaxed when he noticed that Marshall wasn't coming after him.

His stomach grumbled again. If he doesn't eat now he won't last the whole day. Gumball peeked at each classroom looking for a place to eat, but a certain room got his attention. It was a chemistry lab, and it was empty. Gumball sneaked in and a smile grew on his face. It's been such a long time since he was in an actual lab. Even though he had a chemistry class, the teacher is on vacation.

Gumball sat on a stool and finished eating his lunch. After that he took a look around the lab, it didn't disappoint him at all. Exactly what you expect from a rich school! He was about to pick up one of the test tubes when the class door opened and someone yelled, "Who's there?"

Gumball froze in his place, **_oh glob!_**

He turned and saw a woman wearing a lab coat; she wore a light blue shirt, beige jeans and grey boots and she had her hair up in a knot. She looked him up to down and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm- My name is Bubba Gumball."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "Gumball? _The _Gumball?" she asked.

Gumball nodded slowly.

"Oh my glob! I can't believe we have the youngest graduate student here in our school! We have the actual prodigy in flesh!"

Gumball decided that it would be best to keep quiet and watch. The woman was mostly mumbling to herself by now, when she noticed him staring at her she flushed, readjusted her coat and said, "Sorry, by the way I'm the head of chemistry and physics and the teacher Ms. Bubblegum. You can call me PB, but only when we're alone, okay?" She winked. "Also this is actually my secret lab. It's supposed to be abandoned and no one comes here, but from now on it can be our little secret, okay?"

Gumball looked at her in disbelief. "_You_ are _Bubblegum_?! You created the Liquid Pyrotechnics?!"

Bubblegum smiled and said, "Yup that's me! You know, if you'd like, you could help on my experiments."

"Yes, I'd love to!"

"That's great! We can meet here every Wednesdays and talk science."

"Yes!" And with that Gumball sealed the deal.

At the end of the school day Gumball walked home smiling. He can now work in a cool lab with his favorite teacher doing way cool experiments! Now he has something good to look forward to everyday! He was daydreaming in his own world when someone slapped his back from behind jolting him forward.

"Where've been, nerd? I looked everywhere for ya!" said Marshall

**_Really?_ **Gumball didn't believe a word, Marshall was lying about looking everywhere for him and he knew that.

"Lend me your notes tomorrow, okay!?" he yelled as he jogged to the car that was waiting for him. Gumball shook his head and continued his walk back to his apartment. He knows he shouldn't judge people before knowing them and walking a mile in their shoes, but Marshall Lee was a total different story!

**_What's up with him calling me a nerd? I'm not a nerd! Well whatever, I'm not going to let him ruin my day!_**

When Gumball got home, he promised himself that he'll get to unpack the boxes as soon as possible. After fixing himself a snack he went out to the balcony and ate there, enjoying the afternoon view. It was late October and the wind was getting chilly, the air smelled like BBQ and bonfire. He looked around the neighborhood wondering where the smell came from. Then Gumball realized that if he was going to spend the rest of the year here, it will be one lump of a long lonely year.

When he couldn't stand the lonely thoughts any longer, Gumball decided he'd better get down to business and start looking for a part-time job. He grabbed a pack of his resumes, stuffed inside his messenger bag and headed out. He spent almost two hours going around different shops in the district and asking if they needed a helping hand, but unfortunately they all turned him down again.

By the time the sun was setting, Gumball was starving. He should probably get back home.

_Maybe my luck ran out already._

He was about to turn around and leave when his nose caught a smell of something sweet. He followed the smell and it lead him to a small bakery hidden by two fancy women clothing shops. No wonder he didn't notice it! He walked in and was greeted by the warm air and the smell of baked goods.

"What can I help you with?" said the woman at the cashier. Gumball looked around the shop before his eyes caught the sight of two lonely croissants.

"I'll take those two." He said pointing at them. The woman loaded them in a brown paper bag and went back to the cash register.

"That'll be $3.54 please" she said. Gumball took out his wallet and gave the woman 5 bucks, and she gave him his order. When the woman typed something into the cash register it suddenly started beeping, she flushed and apologized as she tried to stop it.

"What's going on there, Susan?" said a buff man that came out from the back door.

"Oh, Mr. Cupcake something is wrong with the machine!" she said moving aside to allow him to take a look at the register. Mr. Cupcake gave the machine a look before he started pressing the buttons and hitting it every time it didn't work. Realizing that it will take a while before he got his change back, Gumball took out one of the croissant and started eating.

It was one bite that he took and he knew that something was wrong with this croissant. When he swallowed it he knew exactly what it was missing. He then took a second bite and started mumbling to himself again.

"Excuse me?" asked Mr. Cupcake bringing Gumballs attention to him. Gumball looked at him puzzled before realizing that he was talking loudly to himself again.

"Um sorry, I was just saying that this croissant has lots of vanilla, it wasn't rolled and folded enough. Alas, it's kind of under cooked. " said Gumball.

Mr. Cupcake face beamed as he said, "Oh yeah? And tell me young sir; do you perhaps know how to make a croissant?"

"Yes, I do. In fact I actually bake," he said in an as-a-matter-of-fact type tone.

"Really?" he smiled before hitting the cash register one more time and the drawer popped open. He took the money out of it and said "How about you work for us then, huh?"

Gumball's eyes were opened really wide. He couldn't believe it, a job! He just got offered a job at a _bakery_. "Yes! Yes, I would love to!" he said excitedly as he took back his change.

"Great! Why don't you drop in tomorrow early at the morning, let's say around 5, and we can sort things out then alright?"

"Yeah. Okay. 5 o'clock. Sure!" he bobbed his head and took mental notes.

"You can call me Mr. Cupcake, or Sir if you'd like." He extended his hand for Gumball to shake.

"I'm Gumball. Nice to meet you." He shook his hand.

After saying goodbye, Gumball practically skipped all the way back to his apartment. He wanted to scream out of happiness, the four leafed clover did really bring him good luck! The sun was finally shining on his little world. When he got home he started laughing and yelling to no one in particular, and because so many good things happened to him today Gumball decided to treat himself to a fine dinner. He skipped to the kitchen humming happily and started preparing for it. After an hour his beef stew was done and he ate until he was full.

After washing the dishes and saving the rest of the stew for tomorrow, Gumball started unpacking. It took him a while to assemble everything to its proper place. His boring bedroom was back to being the way he liked it, bright with all shades of pink. He unfolded his clothes from his suitcase and put them in their rightful place, his underwear and socks were on the first drawer, his t-shirts were on the second and his pants and shorts were in the third. After making sure that everything was neat and tidy he sat back on his sofa and admired his hard work.

Feeling sluggish and tired Gumball decided to take a quick shower then head to bed. He was about to enter his bathroom when his cell phone suddenly started ringing. He answered the call without looking at the caller ID and immediately regretted it when he heard her voice.

"Gumball, darling are you still awake?" asked his mother

"Mother, why are you calling?"

"Honey, I was so worried about you! You haven't called me in ages and I thought something bad happened to you."

Gumball sighed, "Mother, it's been just a week since you last saw me! For glob's sake I'm _fine._"

"But you returned the maids, Peppermint and your limo. Not to mention the money! Why would you do that?"

"Mother, the purpose of living alone is to learn to be independent! How do you expect me to learn that if you keep sending people for me to rely on?" He was practically yelling now.

"But, sweetie, what if something happens to you? What if you get killed and thrown in ditch to die cold and alone? What if-"

"Mother, _enough_! Please stop calling me!" After hanging up he took his cellphone apart and threw it away.

**_Leave it to mother to ruin the mood_, **he sighed.

Gumball felt nauseated, like he was going to puke all his dinner out. He hurried to the kitchen to drink water and wash down the taste of bile in his mouth.

After changing into his night wear, he crawled to his bed and tried to fall asleep. But the pounding in his head refrained him.


	3. Chapter 3: King of Rock

A/N: Thanks a lot guys! Your support means a lot to me!

* * *

"All right, how about you give us a smile now!" yelled the photographer as he crouched down and snapped a couple of pictures of Marshall Lee, who was posing in front of a white background. "Let's end it with your signature!"

Those were Marshall's favorite words. He greeted the camera with the horn sign, and stuck his tongue out.

"And that's a wrap!" applauded the photographer.

As a recent hit star in the show biz, Marshall's schedule has been busy all day, every day. He goes from one photo shoot to next without any breaks. On the up side he got to skip school with a valid excuse and enjoyed playing music, but on the down side he rarely got to see his friends and he was missing out on a lot of school parties. Also he never seemed to get enough sleep and he hasn't had a decent meal in a while.

After 3 hours of rehearsal for his new album release, and an hour and a half of photo shoot, Marshall was exhausted. He just wanted to go home and sleep for the whole day. But of course he couldn't do that.

He had to go to school.

He was already missing a lot of days, and if he didn't catch up soon he'll fail to graduate! The thought of school and catching up on homework brought a certain someone to his mind.

Marshall smiled to himself... that pink nerd was very amusing.

One of the staff members offered Marshall a water bottle; he took and immediately drained half of it.

"Good job there, Marshall. You're done for today so you can head back to school, or you can go home." said his manager as he walked him outside the building to his car.

"Nah, I'll go to school. I missed a lot on Calculus." he said before he hopped into his car and drove away.

On his way, Marshall kept on thinking of different ways to try and tease the nerd. It was sad he didn't catch his name, which made him wonder when that nerd transfer to his school.

**_Was he always around and I just never noticed him? No way,_ **he snorted to himself, **_how could I not notice a pink-loving nerd?_**

Gumball never felt this light since he transferred to Candy High; he finally has all his glob together! Maybe that four-leafed clover was a good luck sign...

**_But how does Marshal Lee fall into this?_**

Meeting Ms. Bubblegum, getting to work on real experiments, finding a job doing his favorite thing, just how far can his luck go?

Gumball hummed to himself while packing up his stuff. Today at lunch Ms. Bubblegum promised him she'd show him what's she's been working on recently and he was so excited to know. Before he could get up from his seat, someone yelled after him.

"Wait!"

Gumball froze in his spot. He looked up to see Marshall Lee standing at the class door panting. He staggered over to Gumball as he held his chest.

"I need your notes man, please!" he said, straddling the seat in front of Gumball.

"What?"

Marshall drained the rest of his water and threw the bottle in the trash. When it landed right in, he cheered, "SCORE!"

His friend who Gumball recognized as Finn and another guy with purple hair walked by, heading out of class, and high-fived him.

"Nice one," said Finn

"I could, like, totally do that, too" said the other guy while admiring his nails

When they left, Marshall turned to look at Gumball, all humor gone from his face. "Please let me copy your Cal notes! I can't afford to fail this class!"

Gumball considered this for a while. Should he let him? After all he seems really desperate, and his luck was going really well recently so he was feeling generous.

"Okay sure," he said with a shrug.

"Oh glob! For real? Thanks nerd!"

Gumball handed him his Calculus notebook and was about to leave when Marshal held his hand stopping him, "Don't go. I won't take long, it'll be real quick" he said pulling him back to his seat. "I promise!"

Gumball sat back in his seat in a huff. He really needed to be at Ms. Bubblegum's now. He had no time for this! He crossed his arms and stared at Marshall who has started copying down the first page.

"My name is Gumball, for your information. Not nerd," mumbled Gumball.

"What?" asked Marshall Lee.

"Bubba Gumball, that's my name. At least know the name of the guy you're borrowing the notes from."

"All right, Gumwad, I'll keep that in mind," he said while still copying down.

Gumball looked at him, bewildered. **_Gumwad? Where the glob did that come from?_**

While Marshall was busying himself with copying, Gumball found himself staring at him. He tried to look away and stare at other things, but his eyes always wandered back to him. In the end he gave up and decided to analyze this Marshall.

He realized that he never really looked at him that well before. Gumball noticed that Marshall was pale, there were bags beneath his eyes, his skin was dry and his lips were chapped from the cold.

**_Was he even eating properly?_**He wondered. And before he stopped himself he suddenly blurted, "What do you eat? Snack bars and energy drinks?"

Marshall looked up at him smirking and deadpanned, "Blood."

Every muscle at Gumball's face twitched with anger. He was seriously being nice and generous and what he being repaid with?

Sarcasm.

"I'm being serious here! Do you even take care of yourself? Do you drink water daily? When was the last time you ate a proper meal!"

Marshall looked at him with a smile then returned back to his work, "You know, Gumwad, you have really sharp eyes. But as rock star I'm always busy and don't really have time for myself. But don't worry I'll be fine," he said more to himself than to the boy in front of him.

Gumball looked at him not knowing what to say. What was he supposed to do now?

When Marshall said he'll finish fast he wasn't kidding, for within fifteen minutes he copied down yesterdays and todays notes. He handed the notebook back to Gumball, looking positively delighted.

"When did you transfer to Candy High?" he said conversationally.

"This week," Gumball replied.

Marshall was finally done and he can still make it in time to meet Ms. Bubblegum.

"Say you haven't made any friends here yet, right?" asked Marshall with a smile.

"No, I haven't."

**_Marshall already knew the answer so why was he asking?!_**

"Great! Then that makes me your first friend!"

Gumball didn't like the sound of that. Why was this Marshall Lee befriending him?

**_What is he plotting?_**

"What do you want?" he asked carefully while adjusting his messenger bag on his shoulder.

"You helped me today by lending me your notes. I think as a friend I should repay you somehow. How about I take you out for lunch?"

Immediately Gumball shook his head, he really didn't have time to play around. "Thanks but no thanks. I'm busy and I have to go now."

"No, dude, I insist. " said Marshall, he held Gumball's arm to stop him from leaving. "We should go right away since it's already lunch and we're still hungry."

Gumball tried to refuse but Marshall was already dragging him out of the class room and into the school's parking lot. "It's a good thing I decided to take my car today!" he said cheerfully.

"Look, Marshall, thanks for inviting me but I really can't go with you! Why don't you go with your friends? I'm pretty sure it'll be a lot more fun."

"Too late, man. We're stuck with each other now." Marshall opened the passenger door and pushed Gumball in before closing the door after him. He walked to the other side and dropped in the driver's seat. "Buckle up!" he said and they drove away immediately.

Gumball said a silent apology to Ms. Bubblegum as the school disappeared in the distance. His luck had definitely run out, otherwise he wouldn't be stuck with Marshall Lee the King of Rock. Secretly he sneaked a peek at him. Marshall was grinning, his sharp canine teeth visible as he drove to their unknown destination. Gumball inhaled deeply he noticed a faint smell of smoke, and then he saw an opened pack of cigarettes lying on the dashboard.

"Do you smoke?" he asked pointing at the pack

"Those are Marcy's. I quit a long time ago."

Gumball nodded and pulled his attention to the window, when suddenly he remembered the question he dared to ask.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to my favorite restaurant of all!" he laughed, quickly looking at Gumball before turning his attention back at the road.

**_Marshall's favorite place?_**

He winced as he imagined this favorite place, a place where all the bad boys hang out, a place for all the smokers and drug addicts. Glob, was he really going there? His mother would throw a fit if she knew about this trip.

But the place that Marshall parked his car at was not the same place that Gumball had imagined. The restaurant was a pizza parlor called 'Pizza Sassy's'.

As soon as they entered the parlor Marshall yelled "Hurry and find us a spot, Gumball!"

Gumball hurriedly left Marshall at the line and started looking for an empty spot, but the place was packed with teenagers! And almost all of them were from his school. Gumball walked farther into the restaurant and found a spot at the far corner that appeared to be secluded because of the various plants that separated it from the rest of the tables.

Gumball walked towards it but hesitated about sitting there. The seat looked really suspicious... why wasn't anyone sitting here? Every person that ordered their food had looked around the restaurant for an empty spot, and even though they saw this seat they walked out and ate outside. Gumball knew that something was wrong with this seat. Otherwise why wouldn't anyone sit here?

After a while of just standing in the middle of the restaurant Gumball got tired of the stares people were giving him, so he slid into the empty booth and hoped that nothing was wrong with this seat. After a while of waiting he saw Marshall walking around with their orders looking for him. When Marshall saw him he paused for bit before continuing towards him. Gumball noticed a smug smile on his face.

When Marshall slid into the opposite side of Gumball he shook his head and chuckled. "I can't believe you chose this seat." Even though Marshall was mumbling, Gumball heard him very well.

"What do you mean?" he asked. He tried to shake the nagging feeling he felt as he took his tray of food from him. Marshall had gone ahead and ordered slices of pizza, fries, and a large drink for each of them.

"It's fine actually. There's nothing wrong with this seat." But the way Marshall smiled when he said it put Gumball on the edge.

"Marshall... What's wrong these seats?" he asked carefully when he noticed the students staring at them. His eyes made a direct contact with a girl who giggled and turned around. Gumball realized that she was the girl who had sat at his chair that day. He spun his head towards Marshall, who had already eating half of his slice, and ground out more urgently, "Tell me Marshall!"

"Okay, okay. Gumball, this is a seat made specifically for gay couples. It's a tribute the pizza parlor did when they noticed that their homosexual costumers couldn't enjoy a decent meal in peace."

Gumball immediately stood up and started walking away. But Marshall held his hand stopping him from proceeding any further. "Glob, its fine Gumball. Don't take it seriously!"

"How can you say that?" Gumball hissed, trying to maintain a level voice. According to his manners, yelling in public places was very rude.

"You can go if you want, but remember. We came here by car, and it's pretty far away from school. You can't walk back."

Marshall was right; if he did leave where would he go? Walking would take forever. He didn't even bring his wallet so he couldn't ride a bus, he doesn't have cell now so he can't call anybody to pick him up. Gumball sighed before sitting back; his manners also told him that it's rude to walk out on someone who invited him to lunch and bought him food.

Marshall stared at Gumball who looked down, "You know if someone bullies you at school about this, come straight to me. I'll beat the lump out of them!"

"You will?" he asked suspiciously, still not believing him.

"Yup, I mean part of this is my fault. I brought you here without telling you about this seat. I'll take full responsibility, you can trust me."

Gumball stared at his fries, would he rather trust the devil or trust the clover? He decides to trust the devil, since he's more of a living being than the clover.

When Gumball had gone into the bakery early that morning, Mr. Cupcake put him to the test. He told him that if he were to create a croissant that was better than the one he himself made, then he'll get the job right away. Gumball had used the ingredients that were available and made the best croissant he could.

Mr. Cupcake was very impressed by his skills that he immediately told Gumball that he could not only help at the cash register but he could bake too. So after that, Gumball stayed back and helped his boss with kneading the dough and getting ready to open the bakery.

Within two hours, Mr. Cupcake dismissed him so that he could go home to get ready for school.

When Gumball walked into the bakery after school the usual rush of warm air greeted him. He walked past the costumers to the back door where the tiny staff locker room was. He took off his school bag and his jacket, pulling on his uniform. He walked back to the kitchen, washed his hands, and helped Mr. Cupcake bake the pastries.

"So how was school today?" asked his boss while he brushed the cinnamon rolls with butter before sliding them into the oven.

Gumball cracked two eggs into a large bowl then added one cup of sugar. "It was fine," he answered while mixing. He didn't want to think of what happened today, or what might happen tomorrow.

Gumball spent the next three and a half hours baking cookies, muffins, croissants, and other pastries. At the end of his shift, the store got busy so he had to help out at the cash register for almost an hour. When he was helping out at the front, he noticed two male students from the General Department at his school sneaking glances at him and trying hard not laugh out loud. He knew they were from the General because of their uniforms. While the Special Department got to wear whatever they wanted to school, the Generals had to wear a uniform. The uniform consisted of a white shirt, a red tie, and ocean blue blazer and pants. When the boys arrived at the cash register, Gumball punched in their orders as they paid.

When he gave them their brown paper bag with their pastries in and their change, he could have sworn he heard one of them say, "Thanks faggot"

Gumball froze at his spot staring at the boys as they left. **_Did they just...?_**

"Don't listen to them," said Susan in a low voice while helping one of the costumers. "You're better than they are. Those boys have lots of free time on their hands."

"I-I know," he let out.

But still, the word hurt him. Those boys must have been at that restaurant that afternoon; they must have seen him sitting with Marshall at_ that_ seat. And that meant that the whole school would know about this tomorrow, and there would probably be more than just people sneaking glances at him and laughing.

He looked at the clock; his shift was long over. After saying goodbyes to his boss and Susan, he grabbed his stuff from the locker room and headed out home. He sighed as he unlocked his front door; there would definitely be some kind of bullying tomorrow. He should be preparing for it somehow, but the pounding in his head wouldn't let him think beyond dinner and sleep.

Around nine, when he finished his dinner, Gumball sat at the kitchen table and started working on his homework and on some complicated equations that were especially given to him by Ms. Bubblegum. There was nothing he liked best than Physics and Calculus: they kept his brain focused and too busy to think of anything unrelated to science or math.

As right for now, he needed that distraction. It was around midnight when he started getting tired, and he couldn't keep his eyelids open for too long.

As Gumball walked to his locker he couldn't help himself from yawning. He woke up at around 7:30 and realized that he had slept through the alarm; he called Mr. Cupcake and apologized for not showing up at 5 to help with opening the bakery. He felt very bad and promised to work extra hours today to make up for it.

A group of students, most form the General Department, forming at his locker stopped Gumball at his tracks.

**_What's going on?_ **He thought as he walked closer. When they saw him approach, they parted ways to allow him access, he noticed some giggling, a few ran away and others were whispering loudly enough for him to hear.

"What's he doing here?" said one.

"...Can't believe he has the courage to show up..." snarled another.

"What a freak..." giggled a girl.

"Wasn't it obvious from the way he dresses?" a boy mentioned.

"Yeah, all stylish and proper…" his buddy added.

That's when Gumball noticed the writing at his locker. The word "FAG" was sprayed with black paint all across his red locker.

**_What the hell are they doing, vandalizing on school property?_ **Thatwas Gumball's first thought.

He had totally forgotten about the bullying. He sighed again then opened his locker to get his books for first period. He was about to close his locker when a loud bang surprised him. A well-built student with a uniform had slammed his hand on the locker next to Gumball's. He locked his locker and turned around to find himself surrounded by two other students. Everyone who noticed that pretended they didn't see a thing and walked away fast.

"What gave you the right to come back to our school?" said the buff guy, folding his arms.

"Fags like you are not welcomed here!" one of the guys behind Gumball snapped.

"Yeah, go back to where you came from!" the other ordered.

**_Glob, do I really have to deal with these idiots now?_**

Gumball adjusted his books then ran his hands through his hair and said, "I believe the main reason you guys want to pull this bullying thing is because I happen to be in the Special section of this school. You're probably just envious that the Special students are better than you. Plus the unfairness of the school's rules just ignites the fire of that hatred that you have been nursing. This '_fag_' thing was just an excuse you needed to let off some of the steam that has been accumulating recently."

He knew by the looks on the boys' faces he hit the mark.

And that they were really pissed off.

"You've got a big mouth for little guy like you!" The buff guy cracked his fingers before launching an attack, Gumball saw it coming and he dogged it immediately, but he didn't notice one of the guys approaching. He tried to turn around but it was too late. Soon he felt his fist dig in his stomach and Gumball crumbled to the ground trying to catch his breath.

"Who's got the upper hand now, eh?" said the bully as he pulled on Gumball's hair.

Gumball cursed himself for not paying better attention. The bully raised his fist and was about to hit him square in the face, when he himself got hit from behind. The bully's grip on Gumballs hair slackened and he sank to the ground, rubbing the back of his head.

"That's what you get for attacking my friend!"

Gumball looked to see Marshall rubbing his fist and walking towards him.

"You okay?" he asked as he extended a hand to help him.

Gumball stared at him not believing it, here was Marshall Lee, the King of Rock and the King of all Bad Boys, helping him and calling him a friend.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine," he managed to say as he accepted his hand and rose to his feet.

Was he wrong about Marshall all this time? Maybe he's not as bad as he thought he would be?

"Can you fight?" asked Marshall

"Yes I can," Gumball replied.

They stood back to back, surrounded by the three guys.

When the bell rang, the fight started.

It was a storm of fists to Gumball's view, all he could hear was the grunts of the general students and Marshall's teasing. As they hit their opponents in every possible opening they saw, they also got their fair share of hits. The fight had only stopped when a teacher caught them, but it was obvious who was winning.

"I'm impressed. Didn't know you can handle yourself this well!" The look on Marshall's face told Gumball that he wasn't lying; he was indeed impressed.

He stood a little taller, proud of himself, and dusted his magenta pink t-shirt. The first period was half through, but the two boys walked to class nevertheless.

"You know what? You're invited!" said Marshall out of the blue.

"Invited for what?" Gumball didn't like where this was going.

"My Halloween Party next Friday! Haven't you heard the rumors?"

Gumball did hear, but he didn't care. He didn't have time for wild parties where people get drunk... and police get involved. "I'll have to decline your invitation. I'm quite busy on Fridays."

Marshall draped his arm around Gumball giving him a one arm hug. "Dude, I'll drag your sorry ass there if I have to. But you are coming whether you like it or not!" Marshall ruffled his hair before walking to class and apologizing for being late, Gumball trailed after him.

**_Berries...he smelled like wild berries and spices_**_,_was what Gumball thought as he sat down.

For a moment he felt very hot, he rubbed the back of his neck and looked around the room. Was he the only one sweating here? He felt his heart beat increasing and he couldn't sit still, his legs were rocking and he was trying to calm down and catch his breath.

**_Adrenaline, it's just the adrenaline rush from the fight,_** he convinced himself.

When first period was over, Gumball walked to his next class. But a wave of disappointment hit him when he saw Marshall Lee giving a one arm hug to another guy, Finn, and messing up his hair. The group of boys was talking loud enough for Gumball to hear them.

"...It's going to be an awesome party..." said Marshall

"Like, I can't believe you're making us come early to help you set up. What the lump were you thinking?" said the guy with wild purple hair

"Shut up, LSP. If you don't want to help then don't! Who's bringing..."

At that Gumball tuned them out and walked to his next class. What was wrong with him? Did he really believe Marshall was giving him a special treatment? What the Glob was wrong with him!? Why did he think that? And why did he think that Marshall was cool? He shook his head; he's not going to the party! Doesn't matter how Marshall treats him he will absolutely not going to Marshal Lee's Halloween Party.


	4. Chapter 4: Sweating Hot!

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. Also, this is a long chapter!

Please Review, Follow and Favorite~3

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A week has passed since Gumball transferred to Candy high, and it has been nothing but a roller coaster. He found a four-leaf clover and things turned out to the better after that, but the luck didn't last long. Marshall Lee has somehow forced himself into Gumball's life, and because of him everyone in school has the wrong idea about them, which lead to the bullying. And it didn't stop, he still heard the insults from the students now and then, and he gets pushed down the hallways, but ever since Marshall fought with him no one dared to approach him. Somehow he has to thank him for that.

It was Friday, and everyone in the Special Department didn't stop talking about Marshall Lee's Halloween Party. They were discussing the food, the drinks, if alcohol would be served, who's dressing up as what and if there would be an after party. Gumball rolled his eyes as he stretched his legs, clearly the gym teacher who everyone called Mannish man had told them to do some warm up exercises but no one was paying attention.

"Yo Gumwad!"

He turned around to see a half-naked Marshall, "You comin' to my party?" he asked

Gumball immediately turned to look away flushed, "Marshall, could you please put some clothes on! You're going to catch a cold."

"Dude its hot! Plus the ladies like it." Marshal flexed his elbow and a group of girls behind him swooned and squealed at the sight. "See?" he said as if to prove a point.

Gumball rolled his eyes, **Glob** he thought. "Just put a shirt on, would you?"

Marshall chuckled before grabbing a shirt from the bleachers. **Nothing beats Gumball's reactions! **He thought smiling.

"Alright everyone, gather up here!" called the gym teacher. Mannish man gave the class a 10 minute lecture about how important warming up before exercise is, then he sent the girls to play volleyball and the guys to play basketball.

"Shouldn't you be sitting at the bleachers?" asked Marshall as they walked together towards the court.

"Why?" he asked

"You know, because nerds don't play sports."

"Very stereotypical Marshall" Gumball crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

The boys were already splitting up into two teams, when Finn saw Marshall approaching he waved his hands to get his attention. He left Gumball to join Finn and yelled, "Who wants to be on my team!" Five students marched forward. Gumball felt bothered that Marshall didn't bother to invite him to join his team, he didn't know why. He didn't even know why Finn bothered him so much.

"Like why do I have to play basketball? It makes me lumping sweat, and I hate to sweat!" complained LSP

He turned his back to Marshall and joined the opposing team, Marshall was looking down on him, and he was underestimating him. **But that will change soon**, thought Gumball as he stood in position, getting ready for the game.

Through the game Gumball noticed that none of his teammates were bothered to pass him the ball. He got so annoyed and decided to take matters in his own hands! He sprinted from his position and stole the ball from his teammate dribbling it to the rival's team's basket. When Marshall stood against him, gumball managed to avoid him skillfully and make a dunk. When he turned to face the team, everyone was staring at him dumbstruck. **Glob, did everyone think that just because I was a nerd I couldn't play sports? **

Marshall whistled and slapped Gumball's back, "Awesome man! You should have joined my team!"

Gumball pushed his hands away and walked back to his team, "Too late" he said.

Marshall spinned the ball on the tip of his finger and noticed something that distracted him, Gumball was smiling. Marshall was shocked, Gumball never smiled when he was with him. **Why?** He wondered. Gumball laughed at something that the guy said to him, and Marshall didn't like it. He didn't like this scenario he was watching, what made the boy so special that Gumball showed him his smile and laugh? **Aren't I your first friend? **Suddenly Marshall laughed at himself, **friend? Really? **Was that what he was concerned about, that Gumball would leave him as soon as he found himself another friend?** So that mighty Gumwad managed to make me jealous!**

"What's so funny?" asked Finn who was creeped out by Marshall sudden outburst.

"My stupidity." said Marshall smiling

"You figured that now?" answered Finn sarcastically.

The game had ended with Marshall Lee's team winning by a landslide. That was the first time Gumball had played in a game with this much excitement, he'd never had this much fun before.

The boys' locker room was noisy and it stunk of sweat and dirty old clothes, Gumball wrinkled his nose as he took off his sweaty t-shirt and folded it in his gym bag.

Marshall was at the far end of Gumball, yet he could still hear his loud laugh. Gumball turned to peek at Marshall only to find him naked. He was only wearing his black briefs and swatting at Finn with his grey plaid shirt. Marshall owned a fine body. He had a tattoo on his left shoulder but Gumball wasn't able to see it clearly, his eyes traveled upward to Marshall's face.

Marshall noticed Gumball staring, so he asked "Yo, Gumwad! About tonight-"

When their eyes locked, Gumball immediately turned away slammed his locker shut and ran for the door yelling, "Too busy!"

This beating in his heart was unnatural, he was certain it was just adrenaline rush like the last time but his logic side told him that he was not suffering from any type of rush. **What is wrong with me? **Maybe he was suffering from a medical condition. Yeah that's right a medical condition, he tried to convince himself. Gumball fast walked to the library and started looking through all the medical books.

No he didn't suffer from Tachycardia, or thyroid disease, or any type of lung disease, or diabetes or even cardiomyopathy! In fact he was completely clean! Then what in the world could be reason for his increase in heart rate, the dizziness, the lightheaded, or the fluttering in the chest? Did he have a special type of condition? Gumball was desperate, he was able to solve the toughest physics equations but he couldn't solve why his heart beat fast!

Sighing he went and sat on the nearest chair and propped his elbows on the table. He needed to think about this carefully; first he had to find the source. The first time was when Marshall had draped his arm on his shoulder, **so that means….no, no. That was the adrenaline rush**. Alright then, the next case was today when he and Marshall made eye contact at the locker room, **no that's because I was surprised**. Somehow these explanations didn't satisfy him, there was something missing.

"Arrgh!" grumbled Gumball and scratched his head as the warning bell rang. Sighing he looked to his left and an opened book caught his attention. He reached out and pulled the book before him, and started reading the page.

_"I sat on my bed and hugged my knees to my chest, my heart beat fast as I thought of last night kiss. The way Leon held me safe in his arms, the way he caressed my cheeks, or the ways he looked at me. I sighed smiling and touched my lips with my thumb, I never knew a boy's lip could be this soft. I fell sideways on my bed giggling that was the best night ever! Just then my phone rang and I immediately launched for it, "Hello?" I answered,_

_"Hey." Hearing his deep voice brought shivers down my spine._

_"Hi." I replied softly, then giggled_

_"What?"_

_"Nothing, what's up?"_

_"Just wanted to hear your voice, can't I?"_

_"hm, no that's fine. I was just thinking about you." "_

Gumball shut the book immediately and shook his head. **No, love was out of question**.When the third period bell rang Gumball grabbed his bag and left to class.

His third period was chemistry with his favorite teacher Ms. Bubblegum. Gumball sat down in his usual spot, ready for some chemistry distraction, he busied himself with taking his textbook out and reading through today's lesson. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Marshall walk in and approach him, and the hair on his neck stood.

"Alright class, everyone please take your seats!" said the teacher when she walked in class, "And I mean you Marshall Lee!"

Marshall scowled before walking back to his seat, and Gumball sighed in relief.

"Today we'll be doing a lab, determining the equilibrium constant, so team up with your lab partner and head back to the lab area."

Now it was Gumball's turn to scowl, he looked around for his partner Billy and found him chatting with his friend. He left him and went back to the lab area.

After giving them the instructions and procedures, Gumball grabbed the necessary materials needed for the lab and sat down with his goggles to write down his hypothesis. He was about to start on his lab when Marshall dropped into the seat next to him.

"'Sup?"

Gumball was surprised he dropped his pencil, "What are you doing here?" he asked

"I'm your new lab partner!"

Gumball looked around before asking "Where's Billy?"

"He switched with me." He said nonchalantly. "Anyways I've wanted to ask you, are you coming tonight?"

"No Marshall I'm not. I told you before I'm busy."

"Gumball, Marshall. More worky less talky!" said Ms. Bubblegum

Gumball sighed; he can't believe he got scolded. He looked over at Marshall who was reading the lab worksheet his brow furrowed, and Gumball found himself staring at him again. **Am I really…?** The question floated his mind before Gumball pushed it aside and refocused on his lab.

"Marshall could you pour 25mL of KSCN into a 100mL beaker, please?" he asked as he labeled the four test tubes.

"The what now?" Marshall looked at him confused "Sorry man but I don't understand Chemistry." He said putting both his hands up.

Gumball sighed in defeat, he'll have to do this lab all on his own.

"Yo Gumwad, how about having lunch with us today?" offered Marshall as he walked along Gumball

"Us?"

"Yup, you can meet my friends." Before Gumball could object, Marshall dragged him all the way to Cafeteria.  
When the double doors to the café opened, the scene that laid itself before Gumball was to be expected; the General Department students occupied the left side and the Special Department on the right. The hate and jealousy were written all over the Generals as they sneaked glances over the Specials, but there were students who looked at the specials with love.

Marshall took Gumball to the far table beside a window; everyone sitting there paused in their conversation and watched as they both took their seats.

"So…is like the rumor true or what?" said LSP as he chewed on his sandwich

Instinctively Gumball loudly answered "NO!"

They all looked at him, and Marshall chuckled.

"Don't mind him, sweet cheeks. LSP is just weird." Said a girl who had her light brown hair in a high ponytail.

"Gumball, meet my friends." He said, "Guys this is my pink nerd friend." He patted Gumballs shoulder.

Marshall's friends introduced themselves one by one; the one sitting in front of him was Finn, in his blonde hair was bunny clip. He wore a white t-shirt and sky blue hoodie over it. Finn is Marshall's childhood best friend; he enjoys dangerous sport, Marshall calls him an adrenaline junkie. His job is an actor; he's mostly in movies with action or adventure.

Sitting beside Finn was LSP, apparently his real name is Lannie but he's called so because his parents have a production company named The Lumpy Space Production Co. hence the name LSP. His parents also own the school. He had dyed his hair purple with a yellow streak in the middle to rebel against his parents, but it didn't work. He wore a long sleeve t-shirt that says 'I'M SMEXY AND I KNOW IT'. LSP works in commercials only, although he'd like to one day star in a big drama, get super famous and rich then open his own production company. He and Marshall met in middle school.

On the other side of Finn sat Kate and Jack, the two are very close friends since birth and they do almost everything together. They have their own drama called 'Jake & Cake!' which they have written themselves. Kate has a very light brown hair, with white highlights and she wore a turtle neck orange sweater. Jack has sandy blonde hair and chocolate-brown eyes; he wore a matching sweater like Kate. They prefer to be called by their stage names, Jake and Cake.

The last person sitting next to LSP was Fionna. In her blonde hair she wore a bunny clip like Finn's. She, Marshall and Finn grew up together. She was two years younger than all of them, and she is a famous model, and an internet idol. She is planning to try acting and maybe singing as well. Fionna wore a shoulder less night blue dress with long sleeves. She also enjoys doing dangerous sports with Finn.

Gumball also learned that everyone in the Special Department, who is pursuing a career in the arts works for the Lumpy Space Production Co. And that their job was just part-time, since the company insists that education is the main priority. If they successfully graduate then they can work full-time as stars.

Gumball enjoyed talking to Cake and Jake, he laughed so much his stomach started to hurt. Marshall had really good friends, he was very lucky. He learned that the bunny clips were a present from Fionna to both Finn and Marshall when they started in the show biz 6 years ago. Marshall doesn't wear it because it clashes with his style; he says he keeps it safe with him at his house.

Watching Gumball laugh around him, made Marshall feel good. But he wished that smile and laugh would be directed towards him instead. Even though Marshall would have loved to stay a little longer, he had a rehearsal within 30 minutes. "I'll catch up with you later!" he said before getting up

"We'll see you at the party, Marshall!" said Fionna waving at him.

Marshall stopped in the middle of the cafeteria before yelling,

"EVERYONE HERE IS INVITED TO MY HALLOWEEN PART TONIGHT!"

Suddenly the café erupted in joy; Gumball had to plug his ears. Then Cake stood up and said, "Alright, everyone who is coming, come get his address!"

"You'd better form a line!" added Jake.

The line that formed in front of their table was so long it extended outside the café.

"Can his house fit all of them?" he asked Finn

"Sure it will!" he said, "Marshall's house is very big."

"Marshall's mom is a real estate agent. He's like lumpin' lucky for it!" said LSP

When lunch ended Gumball went to his locker to grab his history books, he closed his locker and noticed a guy from the general staring at him and wearing a dangerous smile. He had long white hair that's shaved from both sides, and his eyes were very dark he couldn't see the iris from the pupil. Gumball guarded himself when the guy approached him, clearly everything about the guy yelled trouble.

"Hey." He said real slowly.

"What can I do for you?" Gumball replied cautiously.

"Saw you hanging out with Lee and his gang, thought I'd stop by to say hello too."

Gumball stared at him, "So..?"

"My name is Ash, I'm Marshall's friend too." He extended his hand; Gumball shook it and wondered why he wasn't sitting with everyone else, and why he wasn't in the Special.

Ash hung his hand over Gumball's shoulder and said, "I'll make this real quick. Marshall is bad news, so you need to stay away from him."

"I know that, but …Marshall isn't so bad." If he was he wouldn't have such amazing friends

Ash shook his head, "I saw the way you look at him, and flowers could bloom behind you. Marshall is only using you as source of entertainment; he'll throw you away once he's bored. Don't fall for him, that's my warning."

"I'm-I'm not in love!" he said loudly, and pushed Ash away, "you've got it wrong sir, I'm not…"

"Doesn't matter if you're gay or not, to Marshall you're just a toy to play with." Ash slowly backed away looking directly at Gumball's eyes. "Don't get too close to him, and you'll save yourself."

And with that, Ash walked away leaving Gumball to his own thoughts.

Gumball stretched his body as he walked home, he couldn't concentrate during work today all because of Ash. He didn't know what to make of his confession, was Marshall really playing him? He does look like that type of person. And what was up with Ash anyway, he sounded like he just wanted him away from Marshall. Gumball sighed in defeat; he wanted to stay away from Marshall anyways. He looked at his pink watch; it was already 7:30, the party had started 2hrs ago. **It doesn't matter to me.**

Gumball stopped at the stoplight when he heard a car beep, he turned and saw Marshall's car approach him. The car stopped next to him and the window rolled down,

"I thought I'd find you here. Come on, the part already started!" said Marshall

"We have a Calculus test on Monday, Marshall. Shouldn't you be home studying?"

"Don't have time for that; let's go Gumwad the party's waiting!"

Gumball looked at Marshall, and then looked at the stoplight, then back at Marshall. Should he go? Is it worth it? Gumball made a split second decision when the lights turned green and cars behind Marshall horned, he jumped in the car and regretted it immediately.

"Sweet! You'll love it!" he said as he drove away.

Gumball looked at him then asked, "Why's your skin blue?"

Marshall grinned, his sharp canines showing and said "I'm the Vampire King!"

Gumball smiled and said, "It suits you."

"Thanks!"

For a second Gumball wanted to ask about Ash, but changed his mind. This wasn't the right time.

When they got to the Marshall's house Gumball was amazed by how big it was. There were people everywhere, pooling out of the front door and in the front yard. They had to squeeze themselves in to get inside. It was a full house; there was hardly any place to stand. People were standing shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, every time you turned around you bumped someone in the shoulder. The music was so loud you had to yell over each other, the house was littered with paper cups.

"The decoration was done by Cake and Jake" yelled Marshall to Gumball's ear, "It's supposed to be a Vampire's lair!"

**They did a very good job**, thought Gumball.

When they moved further ahead, Gumball noticed Fionna approaching them. She had a white dress on and her hair was in a ponytail. He didn't know what she was supposed to be. "WOOOOOOOOH! Is this the best party or not!" She hugged Gumball before leaving to the dance floor.

Marshall dragged Gumball deeper into his house until they got to the kitchen. There were fewer people there, they were all in pairs drinking from their red plastic cups and chatting in low voices.

Gumball sat at the island while Marshall rummaged through the fridge and produced two large bottles. He placed them at the island and sat beside Gumball.

"I'm not drinking." said Gumball, as he pushed the plastic cup away.

Marshall shrugged before pouring the content in his mouth and swallowed hard.

"You know, I'm really glad you came to this party." said Marshall as he nursed his bottle

"Why?"

"Why? Well because you're the main guest! This party would have been bummer if you decided not to show up! I guess what I'm trying to say is..." Marshall looked around, lost for words.

Gumball looked at Marshall for a long time, should he believe what he's saying?

Just then Cake and Jake walked in; Cake was dressed as a cat with cat ears, cat tail, and Jake was dressed as a dog in similar manner.

"Dude, everyone wants to hear you play! The whole band is waiting for you!" said Jake as he tried to pull Marshall to his feet.

"Alright, alright! Gumball you should come too." Marshall said as he followed Jake out of the kitchen.

"Come on Hun! Marshy plays good tunes." said Cake following suit.

Gumball left his stool and walked out to the dance floor to see Marshall's band playing. He stood at the back behind all the crowed of cheering fans, he was surprised by how good Marshall is. Rock music was never Gumball's type; it was loud, lots of yelling, and he never understood what the singer was trying to say.

Marshall played an electric guitar, a female; with long midnight-black hair, wearing a shoulder less sleeveless navy blue dress that was very short, a purple belt circled her waist, she also wore leggings stripped horizontally and bright purple stilettos, played the bass. And a dark-skinned guy, with white Mohawk hair, wearing black hoodie and black jeans, played the drums.

Everyone was cheering them on and yelling, "Nightosphere!" so Gumball assumed that was the name of the band. Marshall played for 2 hrs before taking a break, Jake threw him a bottle of beer and Marshall didn't waste time before drinking it. A girl; wearing a strapless tight red dress that was barely covering her butt, and red horns on her brunette head, ran to Marshall and threw her arms around him, he pulled her towards him and kissed her lips. But that wasn't the end, Marshall opened his other arm wide and another girl wearing another tight dress came snuggling in.

The sight made Gumball feel uncomfortable, he turned around and walked away. He didn't belong here and he knew it, so why did he agree to come in the first place? He shook his head, **I should leave **he thought as he weaved his way through the crowd. But Marshall's house was too big and soon Gumball was completely lost, he couldn't find the front door no matter where he looked. When he tried to ask the people they were all too drunk to answer, some laughed at him, others were just blabbing nonsense.

Gumball turned around when a hand patted his shoulder, a boy taller than him wearing zombie mask, a green shirt, and black jeans, stood behind him.

"Nice to see you again, gumgum." He said

"Pardon?"

The guy took his mask off to reveal himself as Ash. "Hi."

"Enjoying the party?" he asked ignoring Gumball

"Actually I was trying to get out. Do you happen to know where it is?"

Ash laugh then said, "Marshy's house is quiet big." He drank from a can of beer before saying, "Used to have a map of his house."

"Ash I just want to leave, can you help me or not?" Gumball wanted to ask about his relationship with Marshall, but decided it didn't matter.

"Know what? Stay here, I'll be right back." Ash swayed a little before turning around and disappearing through the crowd. **Was he ignoring everything I said?** Gumball debated whether he should just go look for a way out by himself or should he wait for Ash. He did say he had a map of Marshall's house maybe he actually knew where the front door is, but instincts told him that Ash was not a trustable person.

Gumball was about to leave when Ash popped out in front of him holding a big red plastic cup.

"Where'd you think you're going?" he asked

"I told you I want -" before Gumball could finish his sentence, Ash thrust the cup in his hands.

"Party's not over yet nerd, have a little drink!" Ash chuckled as he swayed a bit before balancing himself.

"I don't drink." Said Gumball, he realized that Ash is drunk. He tried to give the cup back to him back Ash refused to take it.

"Relax, s'just orange juice." He slurred his words

Gumball peered into the cup to find orange liquid; he sniffed it just to make sure before taking a small sip. Well it did taste like orange juice, **I guess he wasn't lying.**

When Gumball looked up he didn't find Ash anymore, he shrugged before drinking half the cup. He didn't realize he was this thirsty; he drained the rest of the juice before he crushed the cup in his hands and threw it in the nearest trash can he saw. He continued to look for a way out of the house when he suddenly felt a buzz in his mind, he felt dizzy and light and everything around him seemed to sway. He tried to walk straight but tripped every so often.

When a group of guys who were fooling around bump Gumball by mistake, he tripped on his shoe laces and fell on the floor laughing for no reason. Nothing seemed to make sense, but at the moment Gumball didn't seem to care, he tried to get up but wobbled and fell.

He suddenly felt sick so he ran to the bathroom but found the door locked, he covered his mouth with his hand and ran up the staircase and opened the first door to his right to find the washroom. He locked the door then threw up in the toilet, when he was done he washed his face with cold water. That somehow managed to clear his mind a little; he staggered out of the washroom and sat at the top of the staircase and waited till he was full sober. **Ash lied, he spiked the orange juice. Glob I shouldn't have trusted him! **Gumball reflected on his mistake.

"Gumwad! There you are!" Marshall suddenly appeared from the hallway and stumbled up the stairs; he carefully leaned down as if afraid he'll fall and sat beside Gumball. "Man I'm wasted!"

Gumball looked at Marshall

"Where did you go?" slurred Marshall as he tipped his bottle back and emptied its content in his mouth.

"I was trying to find a way out. Marshall I don't belong here, I don't do this party and getting drunken thing."

Gumball turned to find Marshall looking upset when he realized his bottle is empty, he noticed Gumball looking so he turned to face him and smiled, "Nerd, loosen up! Vampire bats suck blood when they're bored."

"Glob, Marshall you're so drunk. You're not making sense!"

"hm?"

Gumball sighed and lay down on his back, "If mother knew about this she'd faint." He mumbled

Marshall stared at Gumball, who was rubbing his temple, "What happened to those girls?" asked gumball absentmindedly.

"What're you talking about?" said Marshall as he scooted closer to Gumball when a couple wanted to ascend the stairs and he was blocking the way. When he was really close to Gumball he caught a whiff of candy, Marshall sniffed twice and traced the smell to Gumball.

Gumball opened his eyes to see Marshall leaning over him; he had his hands on either side of Gumball's head.

"Wh-what?" he said as he felt his heart race. He suddenly felt very open.

Marshall inhaled deeply and said, "You smell like candy."

"Marshall Lee, you are drunk and need to cool your head down." Said Gumball, he tried to push him away but Marshall only leaned closer until his mouth was at the nape of Gumball's neck.

"Wonder if you taste like candy too?" he mumbled against his neck.

Gumball held his breath when he felt Marshall lick him. Suddenly Marshall started sucking him and Gumball started panicking.

"M-Marshall? What in the world are you doing?" He shoved Marshall harder but he wouldn't budge.

Marshall sucked Gumball's neck lazily enjoying his taste; **he really does taste like candy** he thought. He licked the area he had sucked then started trailing soft kisses up his neck to his jaw. He felt Gumball shudder beneath him, smiling he used his other hand to caress the other side of Gumball's neck. Marshall continued to trial kisses until he reached the corner of Gumball's mouth, he was then overwhelmed with the thought of kissing him. Marshall cradled Gumball's head with his hand, staring deeply into his eyes. Gumball placed his hands on Marshall's shoulder trying to keep him at distance, but one look at Marshall's eyes made him pause. He couldn't look away; Marshall was serious about this…

Slowly he leaned down and pressed his lips against Gumballs. Marshall bit on his lower lip and Gumball opened his mouth to protest.  
"Marshall, we cant do this. It'll only prove the rumor's right!" he hissed

But the only thing occupying Marshall's mind is Gumball's soft lips, so Marshall took the opportunity of Gumball's open mouth and kissed him.

Gumball was shocked. Marshall Lee was kissing him, and his tongue was involved in it too! Marshall pressed down against him deepening the kiss between them. Gumball tried to resist, this was wrong it isn't supposed to happen! But the way Marshall was kissing him, the way his tongue teased the insides of his mouth made gumball's knee buckle. He was thankful they weren't standing otherwise Gumball would have already melted. A thought crossed Gumball's mind that made stop resisting, it felt good. This thing they're doing, this kissing felt good. So why was he avoiding it? If it felt nice, then that means it's not wrong, right?

And that's when Gumball gave in; he laced his hands around Marshall's neck and kissed him back. Their kiss deepened beyond Gumballs' wildest imagination. His tongue explored Marshall's mouth and one thing was clear to him. He has fallen in love with Marshall.


	5. Chapter 5: Birthday Boy

A/N: Okay first, I'm very very very sorry for the late update! I promise it wont ever happen again! And secondly, thank you guys so much for your reviews! you have absolutely no idea how much it means to me!

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Gumball was engrossed in the kissed he didn't notice he was out of breath until Marshall pulled away, panting hard. They stared into each other's eyes for a while before Marshall turned away and said, "I'll go grab more beer." Then disappeared downstairs and into the crowd.

Gumball stayed in his position, his hands lay on either side of him. He couldn't believe what just happened.

**_I kissed Marshall Lee_**_,_ he thought**, _Marshall Lee, the King of Rock, I kissed him!_**

But what did it mean? What will happen to them now? Maybe when Marshall comes back he'll have the answers.

But after waiting for 30 minutes, Gumball realized Marshall wasn't coming back. And the doubt in Gumball's heart grew.

**_Why wasn't he coming? Did that kiss mean anything to him?_**

Of course it didn't, answered the voice in his head. That kiss was a mistake and Marshall knew it. That's why he left. He didn't say he was coming back anyway. He just said he was going to get more beer; he was drunk when they kissed so he probably wasn't thinking straight!

Gumball rubbed his face then got up and once again tried to look for the exit without much success. When he walked down a hallway, something inside one of the rooms caught his attention. The door was left ajar and, when he peeked in, the sight in front him made him stop in his tracks. Marshall was passed out on the floor and a girl, who was also knocked out, lay atop him. Both were shirtless. Gumball felt like someone snatched his heart out stepped on it then threw it in the gutter. He slowly backed away but was unable to tear his gaze from the uncomfortable sigh.

He continued to move back until he almost tripped over his own feet before someone grabbed him.

"Gottcha!" laughed his saving grace.

Gumball turned around and found Finn's goofy grin. He swallowed hard then apologized under his breath, dusting off his shoulders with as much dignity he could muster.

"You okay?" asked Finn

"I-I'm fine. I just want to leave," Gumball said, staring down at his brown leather shoes.

"I can drive you home if you'd like?" offered Finn, but when Gumball didn't reply he added, "Don't worry, I'm full sober. I didn't have any drinks tonight."

Immediately Gumball agreed and followed Finn out without glancing back.

Gumball sat in the passenger seat while Finn dropped in the driver's and turned on the ignition. As they drove out of Marshall's house and into the street, Gumball massaged his temple slowly hoping to ease his pounding head. It had been one heck of a night, and thankfully it was Friday. He'd probably have a hangover tomorrow and he wasn't looking forward to it.

"So, what did you think of Marshall's party?" asked Finn conversationally.

"It was everything I expected," sighed Gumball, glancing out the window with disinterest. Silence for a brief moment and then he took a deep breath, facing Finn. "Do you know Ash?" he risked asking

Suddenly Finn's face hardened, he looked at Gumball for a minute before turning his eyes back on the road. "Why? Did he do something to you? Did he say anything?"

"Not really..." Gumball stared out the window again, not sure how to say it. "He just told me that he was a friend of Marshall's. Why is he not in the Special?"

The silence between the boys stretched before Finn sighed and said, "He was. Part of the Special Department... and our friend. But that was a long time ago."

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"I guess you have the right to know. Ash was a part of the Nightosphere so he and Marshall were really close. A year ago, the band auditioned for a big competition for the Best Rock Band in the city. They were winning, of course, and their final competitor wasn't going to go easy on them."

Finn shifted gear and turned right. He continued to explain:

"But on the day of the competition, the band never showed up and that led to the Nightosphere winning by default. It was good news, but Marshall wasn't that happy. He was really looking forward to their match. Y'know him and his competitive side, right? Then few days later we found out that, on the night before the finals Ash had gone to the band, beat them up, holding nothing back, and broke their equipment. Marshall was enraged, so he kicked him out of their band. He was also removed from the Special by the chairman as punishment."

He slowed down to a stop in front of Gumball's apartment.

Gumball stayed in his seat for a few minutes letting all that sink in before he opened his door and stepped out.

"Can I ask one last thing?" he said.

"Sure."

"When you said they were close, what exactly did you mean?" Gumball braced himself for the answer.

"Ash is Marshall's ex-boyfriend."

The sound of his alarm clock felt more like someone was throwing bricks at his head. Repeatedly. Gumball pounding his clock with his fist and grumbled as he slowly crawled out his bed. He did indeed get a hangover; a horrible one.

**_Why the hell would anyone want to drink if they have to experience this pain every morning?_ **he thought as he slowly made his way to the kitchen. He winced every time his head throbbed while pouring himself a ginger ale. Starting from today he promised himself to never attend another party or to try drinking. **_Unless it was a formal party and my presence is dearly needed._**

He set the glass of ginger ale on his dinner table and sat down to sip it as the memories of last night slowly piece themselves together. Gumball sighed as he remembered the kiss that he shared with Marshall, and the one thing he remembered about it was that he liked it. He liked kissing Marshall. The thought was obvious. And it was more obvious that he loved him.

**_I love Marshall Lee._**

**_I love him._**

**_I love him._**

The more he repeated those words the more something inside unraveled: he was scared of this sudden change and yet he was _excited_. Out of all the people he met in this school, his heart had fallen for Marshall. Gumball closed his eyes as he tried to remember the feeling of Marshall's lips on his. The feeling of his tongue as he sucked on his skin.

Goose bumps traveled along his body and the nape of his neck burned. Gumball touched it tenderly as he remembered the tingling sensation he felt when Marshall kissed him, his heart was beating so hard he could hear it loud and clear.

**_Does that mean I'm gay? But I only feel like that towards Marshall, am I still considered gay if I only like one boy? Do gays like all the males or only one? Is it still possible to date girls later?_**

Questions rushed through Gumball's head as he started to question his sexuality. He bit his lips and remembered that Marshall could be gay too.

But then the image of Marshall half naked and that topless girl on top of him raced through Gumball's mind, and he suddenly felt cold. He was probably the only one feeling all these rush of emotions, while Marshall just thought of it as a game. Gumball drained his drink then looked at the time, it was 9:30. His shift starts at 10:15; he had 45 minutes to get ready. As the pounding in his head receded, Gumball went to take a quick shower and change.

Gumball pressed the pecan cookies down to flatten them before he slid them into the oven. He made sure to wear a turtle neck sweater after finding out that Marshall had left a hickey on his neck.

"Gumball, do you mind helping at the front?" asked Susan peeking in

"Sure." Said Gumball then went to the basin and washed his hands.

He was giving his costumer their order when he felt a gush of cold air wash through the room. Gumball looked up to see Fionna rubbing her hands to keep them warm.

"Didn't know you worked here," she said pleasantly, her nose and cheeks were red from the cold.

Gumball smiled and answered, "I do indeed."

Fionna smiled and looked around the bakery nervously before saying, "Do…do you want to hang out?"

"Hang out?"

"Yes, well. I'm free today but everyone's busy with work, and I got really bored and…" she trailed off, biting her lip nervously.

He looked at the clock which read 2:45 before saying, "My shift ends in 30 minutes, and do you mind waiting?"

Fionna beamed and exclaimed, "Yes! Sure, I don't mind!"

"You'll have to buy something though..."

"What would you suggest?" she asked with a giggle.

"Well, I like the strawberry Danish."

"Okay. I'll take 3!"

Gumball loaded 3 of the strawberry Danish in a brown paper bag and handed it to her as she paid.

"Also, I need to go grocery shopping and-"

"No probs!" she chimed. "I'll just tag along."

When his shift had ended Gumball and Fionna walked to the grocery store few blocks away.

"This strawberry Danish is officially my favorite!" she hummed as she licked her fingers. "Who made this?"

"I did."

"Really? You bake?" she asked, impressed.

"You think it's weird?"

She blushed before smiling and said softly, "I actually think its cool."

"Thanks."

After spending an hour shopping, Gumball teaching Fionna how to tell the difference between good oranges from the bad ones, they spent the rest of the afternoon chilling at Cinnamon Café.

"So Gumball, tell me a little about yourself?" began Fionna shyly while sipping her mocha.

"In exchange, you have to tell me a little about yourself too," he replied with a smile as he nursed his red tea.

Fionna giggled and said, "Sure."

"Alright then, my name is Bubba Gumball and I love math, physics and baking," he said proudly, puffing out his chest for comical effect.

Fionna tried to stifle her laugh. "That's it?"

He chuckled and said, "Well, what else do you want to know?"

Fionna drank her mocha and thought for a while before she answered, "Your birthday."

"November 2nd."

At that Fionna almost chocked at her drink. "That's, like, tomorrow!"

"Yeah, that's true."

"How old will you be?"

"18."

"18? But isn't your birthday late? Shouldn't you be turning 17?"

"Yeah, well... I'm supposed to be in university at the moment, but my parents decided that I should experience high school life before it was too late."

"Okay, then. Happy early birthday!" she said with an enthusiastic clap of her hands.

"Thanks. Now it's my turn, what do you like to do in your spare time?"

Fionna looked down at her cup shyly before whispering, "Sing..."

"You sing? That's really nice," he said, pleasantly impressed.

"Thanks."

"Is that why you want to try out for the singing auditions?"

She nodded. "But I'm scared. I only sing when I'm alone and I'm not very confident about my skill. That's why I'm not sure about the auditions."

Gumball smiled genuinely and said, "Don't worry; I'm pretty positive you're better that me. You'll pass the test and be a star!"

She laughed but Gumball sensed she didn't buy it.

"Tell you what- when is the audition?" he said.

Fionna blinked and answered, "In two weeks at the LSP company, why?"

"Because, Fi, I'm going to go with you there to make sure you don't run away or give up. And at the end I'll reward you with my strawberry Danish. What do you think?"

Fionna blushed at the nick name, and said, "I think that it'll be a great idea." She smiled thankfully at him.

Gumball smiled back and they both stared at each other before Fionna's phone rang. She apologized before answering it. He laughed at how flustered she was getting.

"Sorry, I have to go. Work." She shrugged apologetically as she hung up the phone.

"It's alright," he said, standing up.

Gumball opened the door for her as she stepped out and he followed her.

"Thanks for spending time with me, Gumball."

"Anytime, Fionna."

They waved goodbye and parted ways. Gumball hadn't gone too far before he heard Fionna call after him.

"Gumball, wait!"

He turned around and Fionna ran towards him.

"Hey, whats wrong?" he asked hurriedly.

She took a deep breath and practically shouted, "Gumball, I like you!"

Gumball stared at her not knowing how to respond.

"I know we barely know each other, well we like met few days ago, but please give me a chance! I really like you, not friend-like you but like-like you, you know? I also know that there's a great chance you will reject me, but please think about it, we can hang out a lot and get to know each other better. That could change your opinion, and you can give me your answer then."

And with that Fionna ran back the direction she came from, the back of her neck red with embarrassment. Gumball didn't know what to do. How should he respond to her? He immediately wanted to reject her because of his feelings for Marshall, but she hadn't given him the opportunity to do that. As he walked to his apartment Gumball decided that he'll give her his answer by Monday.

Gumball looked at his watch for the tenth time that day, ever since Fionna told him her feeling he's been dreading the moment he breaks her heart. He tried to come up with ways to reject without hurting her but it was all wrong. He sighed as he stared at the empty bakery; this was not how he imagined spending his birthday.

**_Not like it's any different from how I usually spend my birthday._**

His shift was over and he was about to tell his boss that he was leaving when the front door opened, and in walked Marshall. His grin was so wide; Gumball could see his sharp canines.

Gumball hadn't seen Marshall since the Halloween Party, but it seemed like a very long time and the sight of him right now made Gumball's heart beat really hard.

Slowly Marshall approached him took off his sunglasses and hollered, "Happy Birthday, dude!"

"How did you-" he asked before remembering that he told Fionna. "Never mind."

"So, you doing anything special?" asked Marshall as he propped his elbow on the front desk.

"Not really. We kind of have this Calculus test tomorrow. So I'll probably go home and study," Gumball shrugged and attempted to slow his heart beat and calm himself down. Obviously, by the look of it, Marshall didn't seem to remember the kiss they shared that time.

**_That's because he was drunk!_**

"Really dude? You're gonna study? On your birthday? If I knew about this earlier I would have thrown you a surprise party!" complained Marshall.

Gumball couldn't help but smile and said, "Thank you Marshall, I appreciate your thought. But I'm glad you didn't know, because I would have killed you after the party."

At the sight of Gumball's smile, Marshall's heart fluttered. Here was the mighty Gumwad smiling in front of him, not growling or grumbling, but smiling. The corner of Marshall's mouth rose up in response and an idea formulated in his head.

"Here." Marshall placed a pink birthday bag on the table and pushed it towards Gumball.

"Thanks, Marshall." Gumball was touched; he couldn't believe that Marshall would care enough to buy him a present. He pulled the bag towards him and peeked in it, he saw a black material. When he pulled it out he realized it was a black T-shirt.

"You're like a pink freak, man. So I bought you a black shirt, you know a little change in your wardrobe won't hurt. And also, so you will always remember me when you look at it."

Gumball's heart starting beating rapidly.

**_Marshall has no idea that this shirt will forever remind me of him_**_,_he thought.

"Thanks," he croaked, trying to keep his emotions under control.

"We should really celebrate, let's go over to your house and have a party just the two of us!" suggested Marshall broadly.

"Wait, what?"

"You can also help me in Calculus; I have no idea what we're doing in class."

Marshall followed Gumball all the way to his apartment, "You're not taking no for an answer, are you?" asked Gumball.

"Nope.," said Marshall, he leisurely followed behind Gumball, his hands in his pockets.

When they rode the elevator Marshall said, "By the way, Gumwad, you really should get a cellphone."

"No need," he responded blandly.

"We should go and buy you one sometime next week or so."

"Marshall, I don't need one," Gumball insisted as they stepped out of the elevator.

Gumball unlocked the front door and they walked in, taking off their shoes.

Marshall whistled as he took in Gumball's apartment, "Dude, you seriously got issues. What's up with all the pink?"

Gumball ignored him and walked into the kitchen, "Do you want something to eat? Or drink?"

"Dang it! We should've bought you cake! What's a birthday without cake?"

"That's fine," said gumball, he rummaged through his fridge and pulled out the pie he baked the day before. "I've got berry pie, if that's okay with you?"

Gumball was surprised when Marshall's face brightened up and a smile stretched across his face. "Berry pie? Really?" he asked.

Gumball cut a piece of the pie and gave it to Marshall who had taken a seat at his dinner table. "Here," he offered his friend.

Immediately Marshall took a bite. He closed his eyes, threw his head back dramatically and moaned. "That's the best pie I ever tasted!" he said with a mouthful of the sweet.

Blush crept on Gumball's face, "Thanks" he said.

"You got any whipped cream man?" asked Marshall, licking his fingers.

"Yeah, I do." Gumball opened his fridge and pulled out a can of whipped cream. "Here," he said and handed it to Marshall who covered the whole pie with whipped cream.

"Where did you get this?" asked Marshall when Gumball pulled the chair opposite Marshall's and sat.

"I baked it," replied Gumball and he secretly enjoyed the shocked expression that appeared onto Marshall's face.

"Every time I think I know you, you surprise me with another side to yourself!" Marshall shook his head and continued to dig in his pie. "Glob, Gumball you make the best pie ever! Trust me; I tried every single pie ever. But nothing beats this one!" he pointed at his plate before finishing it.

Gumball couldn't help but stare at Marshall as he licked his lips and found himself mimicking the movement. He slapped his hands on his mouth and looked away; he breathed in to calm his nerves then turned back to Marshall and said quickly:

"You needed help in Calculus?"

"Mm-hmm," replied Marshall licking his fork and his fingers.

"What exactly do need help in? What is it that you don't understand?"

Marshall smiled and chuckled, "Everything man."

Gumball should've known the answer; he shook his head smiling and stood up. "I'll go get my notes," he said.

When he got back he found Marshall cradling the whole pie, covered with cream, and groaning as he licked his fork. Half the pie was gone.

"I can't take any more, my stomach is so full," he complained when Gumball took his seat placing his books neatly on the table.

"If your full then don't eat," he suggested dryly, flipping through his notes.

"But it's sooo good!"

Gumball snatched the pie from Marshall knowing he'll probably eat all of it, and then most likely get a stomachache.

"Nooo! Don't take the pie!" Marshall called weakly and stretched his hand, clawing at the tin desperately, as if he hadn't eaten a decent meal in his entire life.

"How about I wrap it up for you and you can take it home later?"

"I like that."

After Gumball wrapped the pie and set it aside, he heated up water and pulled out a chamomile tea-bag.

"What're you doing?" asked Marshall, narrowing his eyes.

"Tea."

"I don't like tea, can I have coffee instead?"

"No Marshall you can't. This chamomile tea is better for your full stomach than coffee." Gumball placed the mug of tea next to Marshall before taking his seat.

Marshall sniffed it then looked at Gumball suspiciously. "Does it taste like dirt?"

"No, it doesn't. Just drink it, Marshall," said Gumball firmly

Marshall grumbled before taking a sip.

"Alright then, let's begin shall we?"

Gumball and Marshall spent 3 hours studying and reviewing for their test. Gumball had to explain everything to Marshall three times before he understood it. Gumball enjoyed the Calculus distraction; it stopped him from staring at Marshall. But that didn't mean that Gumball didn't sneak glances at him.

Marshall stretched his arms and rubbed his head. He yawned, peeking at Gumball. "This entire math gave me a headache. Yo, Gumball, isn't your brain fried yet?"

Gumball looked up from his work and ran his hand through his hair. His eyes itched from staring down at the book for hours on end. He nodded and said, "Yeah, I believe so."

Marshall got up from his seat and walked over to couch in front of the TV. "Let's watch something," he insisted.

Gumball followed him and sat next to him. Marshall flipped through the channels until he settled on one that was showing a movie. Gumball adjusted his position on the couch, trying to relax, and slowly tried to lose himself to the movie.

While Gumball was pretty much into the movie, Marshall, on the other hand, found himself only staring at Gumball out of the corner of his eye every so often. What happened at his party was something he couldn't forget, something strange happened to him. He was surprised by how much he wanted Gumball, it actually scared him. But what happened after he left Gumball on the stairs was what he couldn't remember. He assumed he probably passed out minutes after the kiss.

Marshall's eyes traveled all over Gumball, and suddenly he wanted to kiss him again. He kept on blaming those feelings and desires he had that night under the influence of the alcohol, but now he wanted to know. Was it really the alcohol? He had to kiss him to know, maybe then he'll understand what's happened to him.

Gumball's eyes were feeling heavy and tired, when he suddenly felt Marshall very close to him. It took a moment to register before he jumped, clutching his chest in shock.

"Glob, you scared me!" he exclaimed.

"I want to kiss you, again," Marshall said huskily.

Gumball heart leapt with joy. He didn't know whether it was that Marshall did remember their last kiss, or the fact that he wanted to kiss again. "Wh-what're you talking about?"

"Shut up. You talk too much!" growled Marshall before pulling Gumball to him and pressing their lips together.

Gumball couldn't move. Should he kiss him back? What if he leaves again? Maybe he should just push him away?

"The lump, Bubba, kiss me back!" snarled Marshall against Gumball's lips before kissing him again.

The moment Marshall called him Bubba, goose bumps ran all over Gumballs back, and he immediately complied. This time their kiss was fast, needing and hungry. Marshall's left hand was cradling Gumballs face while his right has found its way to hem of Gumballs rose pink shirt. But When Gumball felt Marshall's fingers on his abdomen he pulled away.

"I-I um…my shirt is dirty. I have to go change." The words tumbled out of Gumballs mouth fast as he stood up and rushed to his room. His heart was beating fast and Gumball thought it might jump out of his throat.

"Why did you leave?" Gumball spun around to see Marshall standing at the door way.

"I- I... it's not like that. We were just going too far."

Marshall took big strides and was immediately nose to nose with Gumball. "I think we're doing just fine," he whispered holding Gumball's face in his hands.

"Marshall, this…this is not going to work," he whispered back, remembering what Finn told him about Marshall's relationship with Ash.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Marshall breathed roughly and kissed Gumball before he could object.

Their kiss deepened and Gumball lost himself in it. He wrapped his arms around Marshall's neck and ran his tongue along his sharp canines. Marshall moaned in his mouth, and pulled Gumball towards him from his waist. Slowly they pulled away, breathing heavy, then Marshall trailed soft feather kisses from the corner of Gumballs mouth down to his neck. Gumball held tighter to Marshall. He moved his head to the side giving Marshall more access to his neck.

And just when things started to get hot, a knock on the door startled the two boys.

"You expecting anyone?" asked Marshall, his eyes hazy.

"No… no, I'm not." Gumball was confused. No one knows where he lives except-

"Gumball, hunny! It's your mother, open up!" yelled his mum.

Immediately Gumball ran to the door, panicking and thinking hard, **_what the lump is Mother doing here?_**

When he got to the living room he was surprised to find his mother already inside. His butler, Peppermint, was also there holding the door open for her.

"What're you doing here mother?" Gumball demanded. He found himself in a tight embrace, his mother swaying on the spot.

"Oh, Gumball, my poor baby! It must've been tough for you to live all by yourself!" she said ignoring Gumball's question as held him close.

Gumball pushed her away and shouted, "I asked you a question, Mother!"

Peppermint closed the door and stood in place awkwardly, looking everywhere but the pair. All the while, his mother looked confused.

"Why, I came to see you of course, Gummy!" she said playfully, pinching his cheeks. A chuckle made her look up at a boy with a dark hair standing in the corridor.

"Who's that?" she asked carefully, not liking the kid at all.

"He's just a friend." After bringing her attention back to him he asked calmly, "I meant, how did you get in here?"

"Well...that's, um…" His mother gazed down at the floor, as if she was hiding a secret from him. He was about to ask her that when he noticed something shiny in her hand.

"What's that?" he demanded and immediately snatched it from her hands before she could hide it. "You duplicated my key?" he yelled, his face turning a brilliant shade of puce.

"Well, I had to! You wouldn't answer my calls anymore, and you sent away all the maids and the money! I was so worried about you! Gumball please come home, I miss you so much!"

Gumball wasn't listening, he was in shock. His mother had made a copy of his apartment key and is now invading his privacy. He tightened his fist on the key before throwing it out via the opened balcony.

"Leave," he said in a deathly quiet tone, glaring at his mother. "Now."

His mother swallowed hard, she then placed another key on the coffee table beside her and sniffed, "I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

Gumball didn't miss her glazed eyes when she turned around and left with Peppermint. He sighed heavily and sat on the couch with his head in his hands. **_Now I'm the bad guy…_**

Marshall whistled and said, "Wow, I thought I had mother problems!"

When Gumball didn't reply back, Marshall walked to the coffee table and picked up the keys.

"Sweet! She bought you a car! Hey, wanna check this baby out?" he asked, dangling the keys so Gumball could see.

Gumball rubbed his eyes and said, "Sorry, but can you please leave? I want to be alone."

"Oh, yeah. Sure, no probs!" Marshall dropped the keys back, he took his sunglasses from the dinner table and left.

Gumball sighed again and hugged his knees to his chest. He felt the urge to cry grow stronger, and the pounding in his head had returned.


	6. Chapter 6: It's a Date!

A/N: Sorry that its late! Please go ahead and blame school and my teachers! Exams are approaching and I rarely have time to myself! Don't forget to review and favorite!

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Chapter 6: It's a Date!

Gumball swirled the purple liquid in the test tube before returning it to the rack and recorded what had he observed.

"Can you pass me the Benedict's solution?" he asked.

"Here," said Ms. Bubblegum. She passed him the blue bottle. "So, what did you find?"

Gumball added two drops of the solution to another test tube and said, "Substance A did not react, Substance B was successful, and I'm just working on the Substance C and D."

"Mm-hmm..." She nodded and scribbled down a few things on her notepad. "Gumball, the bell will go in 2 minutes. You should wash your hands, I'll clean this up."

"Okay," he said and, as if on cue, the bell rang loudly, ending lunch time. He washed his hands and grabbed his bag before leaving.

"See you next week, Gumball!" Ms. Bubblegum called after him as he strode out the door.

"Yeah!" he said cheerfully.

Gumball made a quick stop at his locker to grab his History textbook and then walked to the second floor to his class. After what happened last weekend between him and Marshall, Gumball found it hard to look at Marshall directly in the eye. Even though Marshall acted like nothing had happened, it kind of irritated him. It was as if Marshall didn't care!

Fionna on the other hand seemed to be avoiding him. Every time he spotted her in the hallway she'd run to the washroom to hide. He hoped that this wasn't going to continue for very long. After all, he valued her friendship very much and was a little hurt every time she turned on her heel and dash away.

As Gumball approached his class, he saw Cake flirting with some guy outside the room. When Cake noticed him, she immediately called for him.

"Hello," he said pleasantly as he got into earshot.

"Gumball, I couldn't introduce you to my boyfriend last Friday. You left too early!"

"Um, I felt sick so Finn drove me home," he admitted and shrugged

"Bummer! Anyways, this is my boyfriend Marco. He's the drummer in the Nightosphere." She pointed to the guy beside her. Gumball remembered him right away.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you." He extended his hand.

Marco shook Gumball's hand and nodded. Gumball raised an eyebrow and glanced at Cake for an explanation.

She cleared her throat and said, "Marco doesn't talk. He can't actually. No vocal cords." She pointed at her throat.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't know." Gumball flushed, feeling very foolish.

Marco smiled and shook his head. He draped one arm around Cake's shoulder as she chirped, "It's okay, he doesn't really mind. My baby is the best drummer in the world!"

Marco smiled again and rolled his eyes as Cake beamed about how good he was when someone called her across the hall way.

"CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE!" Jake yelled frantically as he ran fast towards them.

"What wrong?" she asked, her voice dropping into immediate concern.

"Oh my glob, Cake! Did you see her? Did you see her?" he chanted.

"See who? What're you talking about?"

"She was so hot! And so beautiful! Her voice is like melody to my ears!"

"Jake! What're you talking about?"

"The exchange student, Cake!"

"Exchange student?"

"YES! Her name is Reina and she's from Korea! She likes classical music! And – oh there she is!" He pointed behind them as a very elegant girl walked wearing a Korean traditional clothing.

When she saw Jake she smiled and bowed then said shyly, "_Annyeonghaseyo, Jeikeu. _(Hello, Jake)."

"_Annyeonghaseyo, Leina. _(Hello, Reina)," he replied, grinning.

"Whoa!" gasped Cake, her eyes widening. "You can speak Korean?"

"Yeah," he said distantly, as if it was no big deal, his attention still on Reina.

"Jake!" called Cake, waving her hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. "Since when?"

"Does it matter? Anyways, I'm in love and_ that's_ all that matters," Jake sighed dreamily and followed Reina down the hall.

"Okay. Wow," said Cake as she shook her head. "I've never seen Jake like that before."

When the bell rang, Marco and Cake kissed before parting ways.

"See you after class, Muffins!" she shouted after him before following Gumball inside the class.

A week had passed and Gumball never managed to talk to Fionna. Well, to be exact, he never found her to be able to talk to her. She was still avoiding him.

He still sat with Marshall and his friends during lunch time, but he didn't sit beside him. The seat beside Marshall most always got occupied by the girl that played the bass in his band. Her name was Marceline and she and Marshall were very close.

"Marshall's like the brother I never had!" was how she described their relationship.

They would always play spitball at lunch and harass the freshman students. Gumball didn't like how she was always touching him.

Even though Marshall seemed to act natural, Gumball felt that he was being a bit distant. It made him feel rather lonely somehow. Gumball shook his head and pushed the thoughts aside. **_Too distracting_**, he reasoned.

But it still hurt.

"YO! Gumball!"

Gumball turned around to see Marshall, Jake, Cake, LSP and Fionna approaching him. He didn't know if he was shocked that Marshall called out to him or that Fionna was actually here and not avoiding him. He didn't know which to react to so he steadied his voice and took in a deep breath, trying to act casual so a) he wouldn't look stupid in front of Marshall or b) scare Fionna away again.

"Hey," he said once they got close.

"I heard you're working at a bakery. Are you heading there now?" said Cake

"Yes, I work at Cupcakes. And, yes, I am heading there now," said Gumball as he closed his locker, turning the dial to zero.

"Oh yeah! Cupcakes Bakery. Dude, that place has got some awesome cake man!" said Jake

"Um, I've been wondering but, like, why are you in the Special Department when you're not, like, a star." asked LSP critically, chewing his gum. "You know, like us?"

Gumball hesitated for a bit before answering slowly, "That's because I'm a prince, LSP."

"Prince?" said Fionna, gaping at him in disbelief.

"You mean like _real _prince, like _royalty_?" asked LSP, sounding unconvinced.

"Yes. I'm Prince Bubba Gumball III of Aaa-land."

"Whoa, plot twist!" yelled Jake, causing Cake to giggle and punch his shoulder playfully.

Suddenly Marshall surprised Gumball and laid his arm around Gumball's shoulders. Gumball immediately stiffened before slowly relaxing. He hoped he wasn't blushing as badly as he thought he was.

"Anyway, his Royal Highness needs a cell phone and we're buying him one next Saturday. Who's coming?" Marshall announced to the group.

"Marshall, I don't need a cell phone!" objected Gumball hastily.

"Sorry dude, I got date!" bragged Jake, showing off his pearly whites.

"Date? With that Korean chick?" asked Marshall, raising his eyebrows.

"Uh-huh!" Jake confirmed with a proud, firm nod.

"Sorry, sweet cheeks, I already got plans," apologized Cake when Marshall looked at her questioningly.

"Nope. Sorry dude, but, like, I'm very busy on the weekends," said LSP. "Parties and, like, girls and stuff."

"I'll come!" volunteered Fionna, raising her hand enthusiastically.

Gumball turned his head towards Fionna, surprised that she offered to come along.

"Fionna-" he tried but Marshall cut him off.

"Great! Then we'll meet at Cinnamon Café at one. See you there, Gummy," said Marshall before leaving, the others following. Gumball, however, managed to stop Fionna before she continued on.

"Wait, Fionna, I-"

"No Gumball, stop! Please don't say anything. Look I'm sorry for avoiding you for a whole week, but I just couldn't bring myself to face you. I wasn't ready, and honestly I don't think I'll ever be ready to be rejected."

"No, that's not what I-"

"Gumball I know you'll reject my feelings, so don't try to sugar coat your answer. One-sided crushes are very painful," she sighed, glancing off sadly to the side.

**_One-sided _love_ is painful_**_,_ Gumball thought as he stared down at his leather shoes._ **And I know that feeling very well Fionna.**_

As December approached the weather got colder and the wind was harsher. Gumball wrapped his puce pink scarf tighter around him and tried to keep warm. When he approached Cinnamon Café, he saw Fionna waiting outside the café.

"You're here early," he said.

"Yeah." She smiled. Gumball didn't know if her cheeks were red from the cold or if she was blushing because of him.

"Do you want to wait for Marshall inside?" he asked as he held the Café door open.

"Sure."

As Fionna stepped in, Gumball wondered if she was acting differently today.

When they both entered, Gumball told Fionna to take a seat while he bought them warm drinks. Then they both sat quietly sipping their warm drinks and waiting for Marshall to arrive.

"It'll be Christmas soon," said Fionna conversationally, as she looked out the window. "Are you excited for it?"

"I suppose," he replied placidly.

"Any idea what you want?"

"Ah... no. Not really."

A pause... a long, awkward and painful pause on both parts.

"Uh-" Gumball began but a loud, familiar voice rang over to them.

"There you are!" said Marshall when he strolled into the Café. He sat beside Gumball and stole his hot tea, drinking deeply from the cup.

Gumball was baffled by Marshall's action; he didn't know what to make of it. Should he take it as a sign that they were close? Or is this one of Marshall Lee's behaviors? Gumball swallowed hard and decided to just ignore it. He was over thinking again.

"So, are we ready to move?"

Marshall drove Gumball and Fionna around from one store to the next looking for a good phone for Gumball. Even though Gumball kept on insisting that he didn't need one, they kept on hunting. After two hours, Gumball gave up and bought the phone that Marshall recommended without a second thought. Too late he realized it was the same type as Marshall's and returning it was a big no.

**_Yet another reminder of him_**_,_he thought bitterly as he stared down at it.

When they decided to have a lunch break, Fionna asked if they just walk to the restaurant and order take outs then eat them at the park. Marshall complained that it was far away and that it'll be easier by car. But after fighting it out, Fionna won and they ended up walking three blocks to the nearest restaurant.

When they walked in they were asked to take a number and wait in line to order, so the trio sat at an empty table and waited for their turn. After 10 minutes of waiting Fionna got a call from her manager so she had to step out.

When Fionna left, Marshall immediately took her empty seat beside Gumball. The hair on Gumball's neck stood and his heart raced when he took in Marshall's scent through the draft in the mall. He propped his elbow on the table and covered his mouth and nose with his hands, trying hard to control himself. Marshall took Gumball's new phone off the table and started fiddling with it.

"Here" he said, handing the phone back, "I added my number."

"Thanks," mumbled Gumball.

Similar to the one in the bakery between him and Fionna, there was another long, painful, awkward pause.

"I-um I haven't been seeing you in school lately," Gumball mentioned softly.

"Yeah, I've been preparing for my concert. It's going to be a big one!" Marshall boasted, flashing him a grin.

"When is it?"

"In a week or two. You should come! I'll get you backstage passes."

Gumball ran his hand through his hair and looked away; he didn't want Marshall to see his red face.

"Sure," he replied shyly.

Again, a pause.

"Hey, Gumball?"

Gumball cleared his throat then turned to look at Marshall only to find him leaning really close. He was stunned but he didn't retreat and didn't dare say a word.

Slowly Marshall's face leaned even closer to Gumball's. Gumball held his breath looking at Marshall's lips then his eyes, continuing to flicker to either part of his crush.

He licked his lips thinking Marshall was going to kiss him, but immediately Marshall pulled away and stood up as if nothing had happened for the two heartbeats Gumball was sure he had skipped.

"It's our turn," he said dryly as he went to stand in line to order.

Gumball stayed in his spot, unsure of what to do or say. He looked around the restaurant and realized no one saw what had just happened; in fact no one seemed to care about them. Gumball took a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. What was he thinking? What's between them is wrong and a big mistake. Marshall only wants to play with him. He's just toying with his emotions.

Slowly, Gumball stood up and walked to the door.

"I'll wait outside," he said, not even bothering to check if Marshall had heard him or not.

**_Ash was right_**_._ He hated to think that, but it was true. **_I should have listened to him! I shouldn't have gotten involved with Marshall. It's not too late; I can still back down and pretend these feeling for Marshall didn't exist. Also, even if Marshall and I were to date, what would we do? If it was your typical girl and boy, they'd meet, fall in love, date, and then get married! But if it was two boys, what will happen between them?_**

As the cold wind blew hard, sending goose bumps all over Gumball's body, he noticed Fionna standing by the light pole staring at her phone with distaste, as if it had insulted her greatly.

"Hey, is everything alright?" he asked as he approached her.

Fionna spun around to see him then shrugged. She dug her hands in her pockets and said, "Yeah, it just...remember when I told you that I auditioned for this singing competition? Well, my manager just called to inform me that they changed the audition date."

"When is it now?"

"Tomorrow," she whispered so quietly that Gumball had to strain his ears to hear her.

"Were you planning to tell me?"

Fionna looked at him and blushed. "Actually, no. I wasn't."

Gumball rolled his eyes and folded his arms in front of him, "Well, I'm glad you told me now. This way I'll make sure you don't miss it."

Fionna smiled guiltily and nodded, "Alright, alright. I'll go."

Then Gumball noticed for the first time how pretty Fionna looked and something clicked in the back of his brain. Why was he bothering with Marshall when he was only fooling around with him? Here was a pretty girl that liked him, why isn't he grabbing this chance? Marshall Lee will never like him back so was he really going to spend the rest of this year with his head in the clouds?

"Um, Gumball? You okay?" asked Fionna, pulling him away from his thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry," He cleared his throat then asked, "Will you go out with me?"

Fionna stared at him before asking incredulously, "Go out? As in go out to the mall? Or go out go out?"

"As in: will you date me, Fionna?"

"Thanks" said Marshall as he took his orders and stepped out of the restaurant. "Hey guys, I got our orders. You know, why don't—"

Marshall froze in his spot when he saw Gumball and Fionna kissing, he tried to look away but he couldn't. Instantly waves of emotions filled his chest, and he couldn't make them out. But he knew that he felt... betrayed.

**_What's the meaning of this?_**He couldn't believe it. **_Why is Gumball kissing Fionna? When did this thing between them happen?_ **He tried to surpass the urge to pull them away from each other.

Gumball and Fionna pulled away on their own instead, and Fionna wrapped her arms around Gumball's waist hugging him. Marshall approached them again pretending he didn't see a thing.

"I was thinking maybe we should drive somewhere and eat rather than walk?" he asked casually.

"Sure, whatever!" exclaimed Fionna, grinning up at Gumball, who smiled back.

After googling the directions to the LSP Company, Gumball realized that he couldn't walk there, which meant he had to drive. He didn't want to call a taxi; he was forced to use the car his mom got him. Which, in turn, reminded him that he needed to apologize to her ASAP. If he called her from his new phone she would know his number and never stop calling him afterwards. Which left him with the option of calling his father and trusting him to not give his number to his mother.

Gumball grabbed his car keys and the bag of a strawberry Danish that he promised to give to Fionna and walked out to his car.

The LSP Company was huge. Gumball was amazed by its size. He didn't expect much from such a famous company. After parking his car, Gumball walked inside and was immediately greeted by the staff. He was about to ask them where they were holding the singing auditions, when LSP himself showed up.

"Hey, Gumball. What're you doing here?" he asked, eyeing Gumball suspiciously.

"I'm here for Fionna. She's participating in a singing-"

"Yeah, I know. Like, want me to take you there?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

LSP took Gumball up the elevators to the 14th floor and said, "Take your second right and it's, like, the third door to your left."

"Thank you, LSP," said Gumball as he stepped out of the elevator.

"It's fine. Fionna's, like, really lucky to have you around."

Following LSP instruction, Gumball found a bunch of people standing beside the door, looking impatient. One really young looking guy with green hair smiled and approached Gumball when he saw him.

"Hi! You are Gumball right?" he said.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Oh, great! It would be really weird if you weren't. I'm Fionna's manager, you can call me BMO," he said extending his hand.

Gumball shook his hand and said, "How did you know who I was?"

"Well, Fionna said that if I see a guy wearing full pink that's her boyfriend Gumball. Is it true you're her boyfriend?"

"Right, yeah, the pink. And yes, I am dating her," Gumball replied.

Gumball and BMO waited for a whole hour and a half, throughout that time Gumball called his father and told him to deliver his apology to his mother. Then the door opened and out stepped all the contestants, some were crying some looked grim other were jumping of happiness. Fionna walked out looking shocked, when she saw Gumball she ran to him and hugged him.

"How was it?" asked Gumball, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Did you pass?" asked BMO, jumping excitedly.

"I PASSED!" yelled Fionna she looked from BMO to Gumball and back again. "I don't believe it! But I passed the first round!"

"YES! I KNEW IT!" BMO was as excited and happy as Fionna was; he then pulled out his phone and walked away, chattering about her success to whoever he had dialed.

"I told you, didn't I?" Gumball said looking Fionna in the eye. She smiled and giggled.

"Yes, you did," she said

Gumball then opened his messenger bag and pulled out a brown paper bag. "Here's your reward," he said handing the bag to Fionna.

"Is this…? No way!" Fionna squeaked as she opened the bag, pulled out a strawberry Danish and ate it all in two bites. "This is so good!" she said in a mouth full.

Gumball smiled: he liked it when his food makes people happy. Maybe dating Fionna was not such a bad idea.


End file.
